Tom McMillen looks over the controls of the old boiler at Lemmon Valley Elementary School on Friday. Workmen were putting in a new system in the aging school

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The Washoe school-tax bill certainly did not receive a warm welcome when it was presented to the Washoe County Commission last week.

A conga line of citizens gave their opinions on the tax plan. The tax bill had been dumped in the lap of the commission by the Nevada Legislature. It is designed to give the Washoe school district a steady revenue stream for the upkeep of its aging inventory of schools.

Reno Republicans at the Legislature convinced colleagues that there were not enough votes to pass the measure. So the bill was amended as "enabling" legislation, then punted away to commissioners. ...